Subject: What happens when speaking out has a cost?

Dear Friend,


In the run-up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we find ourselves at a significant moment.

This week, the UK, France, Canada and other governments announced concrete measures in response to settlement expansion and escalating settler violence in the West Bank. After years of warnings and condemnation, there is finally a recognition that words alone are not enough.


Israel’s response was swift. The government ordered the closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem, barred British parliamentarians from entering, and ended areas of British cooperation with Palestinians.


For those of us working inside Israel and Palestine, this response is deeply concerning. The government’s response is not only a rebuke to the UK; it signals a growing hostility towards those who challenge the occupation and demand accountability for violations of Palestinian rights. If this is the response to pressure from one of Israel’s closest allies, we have to ask what it means for the Israeli and Palestinian organisations doing this work from within - and how much space we will be allowed to continue doing it.


This uncertainty and moments of fear are real - but so is our responsibility to keep this space open and growing. At a moment when challenging the occupation carries an increasing political and personal cost, the existence of a joint Palestinian-Israeli movement willing to do exactly that matters more than ever before.

Over the past year, our activists have worked alongside communities across the West Bank including Khan al-Ahmar, Ras Ein al-Auja, Samra, Sinjil, Battir and beyond. We have challenged settler violence and forced displacement, protested the treatment of Palestinian prisoners and the death penalty, and brought new Palestinian and Israeli activists into this work through our educational programmes, joint ceremonies and field actions.


Whatever the political environment ahead, we will continue to defend Palestinian rights, oppose displacement and occupation, and strengthen Palestinian-Israeli nonviolent co-resistance. Our work is rooted in the conviction that Palestinian freedom and equality, and Israeli democracy and security, are not competing goals, and neither can be secured at the expense of the other.


As Yom Kippur approaches, its call for accountability feels especially relevant: to recognise injustice, and to take responsibility for changing what is within our power to change.


To all those celebrating Rosh Hashanah, we wish you and your families a peaceful and meaningful Shana Tova.